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Mirror of Auras: Chen Tuan on Physiognomy

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Mirror of Auras: Chen Tuan on Physiognomy Mirror of Auras: Chen Tuan on Physiognomy Livia Kohn Boston University, Bostony M A 02215-1401 “ Gongsun Ao 公孫敷 had heard that Shu Fu 叔月艮 was a master of physiognomy and introduced his two sons to him. Shu Fu said: ‘ Gu 榖 will feed you, No 難 will bury you. The lower part of Gu’s face is large, he will have posterity in the state of Lu 會 ” {.Zuozhuan, Wen 1 ;Legge 1960，229). This record of the Zuozhuan 左傳 is one of the earliest known in­ stances where the application of physiognomy by a professional sooth­ sayer in China is mentioned. Many are the cases throughout Chinese history where the bounties or hazards of future occurrences were rec­ ognized early in a person’s features. Heirs apparent were nominated on the aavice of the physiognomists, just as officials or nobles were re­ duced in rank or even killed on the basis of predictions made by prog­ nostication specialists. Even the most notorious Empress Wu 吳太后 was recognized while still in her diapers: When Empress Wu was in her infancy, the famous physiog­ nomist Yuan 1 langang 袁天綱 happened to visit her house. He said to her mother: “ Your bone structure shows that you will have noble children.” Thereupon she called all the children and had them examined by Tiangang. mrst he looked at Yuanjing 元慶 and Yuanshuang 元爽 and explained: ‘‘ These two will be­ come heads of great families, in office they may advance to the third rank.” Then he analyzed the later Lady Helan 河蘭： “ This young lady certainly shows signs of great nobility, yet she will not act to the advantage of her husband.” Then the wet-nurse brought Asian Folklore Studies, V o l.47,1988: 215-256. 216 L IV IA K O H N in little Zetian 則天 who happened to wear boy’s clothes at the time. Tiangang at once said: “ This young lord has a spiritual color and radiates liveliness and high intelligence. But I can’t distinguish the details, so please let me look a little closer! ” He thus took a step towards the cradle and asked the nurse to hold the head up a little higher so that he could examine the eyes. Alas, he exclaimed with astonishment: “ The young lord has dragon eyes and a phoenix neck, the highest possible indicators of nobility! ” When he then continued to examine the child from the side, he was even more surprised: “ Should this child be a girl, then her career would be beyond all estimation. She might well become ruler of the empire.”1 In the two stories quoted above one can already gain a glimpse of the system that underlay traditional Cninese physiognomy, certain parts of the face are identified with specific periods of one’s life so that a large chin section comes to indicate numerous descendants. Single features are isolated, analyzed in terms of their similarity to animal fea­ tures and interpreted according to the quality commonly associated with the beast. Therefore dragon and phoenix features are considered most outstanding, while wolf and tiger characteristics show a cruel and dan­ gerous disposition. In addition to the obvious patterns of one’s features, the general ‘‘ aura，，(feng 風）is judged. The physiognomist then speaks about the client’s energy [qi 氣）or his color (se 色)，an expression used in a wider and more general sense as well as in the rather technical mean­ ing of facial complexion, in which it is also founa in the classics of tradi­ tional Chinese medicine.2 M a n u a l s o f P h y s io g n o m y The first systematic exposition or manual of the rules and principles of applied physiognomy in China, as extant today, is found among the Dunhuang manuscripts. Ascribed to Xu Fu 許負 of the Han dynasty, the Xiangshu 木目書，“ Physiognomy,” has survived in three different manuscript versions (P. 25フ2，P. 2フ9フ，P. 3589). It gives a survey of the human body from top to bottom, explaining the significance or its different features (Hou 1979，57; Kohn 1986，249). From the tenth century onward physiognomic materials increase in number, while the systems presented grow in complexity. Yet one can identify a unified tradition of physiognomy from the early Song to the present day, a tradi­ tion which is still alive in Taiwan and Japan.3 1 his modern standard type of physiognomy is characterized by its emphasis on the theory of body-spint interaction and by its frequent reliance on the model of the PHYSIOGNOMY: MIRROR OF AURAS 217 five phases in the analysis of body forms and facial complexions. A variety of texts—each emphasizing a specific aspect of physiognomy— connect the early masters with their modern followers. The Mirror of Auras {Fengjian 風鑑）is the first of the manuals of the modern tradition. It is ascribed to Chen Tuan 陳搏，th e famous Taoist saint and philosopher of the tenth century.4 He is praised by the tradi­ tion as the founder of modern standard physignomy and is also claimed as the original author of its foremost textbook, the Shenxiang auanbian 神 相 全 編 （“ Complete Guide to Spirit Physiognomy ”). As I pointed out in an earlier article (Kohn 1986)，this book was compiled by Yuan Zhongche 袁忠徹，zi Gongda 公達 or Jingsi 静思 of the early Ming 明 dy­ nasty (136フー1458)，who was a well-known physiognomist at the imperial court. It is now extant in a late Ming edition preserved in the National Central Library in Taipei, Taiwan. In addition, it has been reprinted in its entirely in the great Chinese encyclopedia Gujin tushu jicheng 古今 圖書集成（ch.s 631-644). This latter text in turn served as a basis for modern Taiwanese pocketbook editions such as the one prepared by Liang Xiangrun 梁 湘 潤 （Liang 1980). There is an abridged Japanese translation of the Shenxiang quart- bian by the Tokyo shrine Administration which is used today as the standard physiognomic manual of Japan (Jingukan 1982). In English we have a summarizing account of the major methods outlined in the text (Lessa 1968) and a discussion or its alleged tradition based on an analysis of the materials quoted (Kohn 1980；. The standard modern type of physiognomy as represented by the Shenxiang quanbian does indeed go back to the tenth century. The ear­ liest textbook that can be considered a direct forerunner of the Shenxiang quanbian is the Yuguan zhaoshen ju 玉管照神局，(“ Jade Office Instruc­ tions on How to Clarify Spirit ”）allegedly by Song Qiqiu 宋齊邱 of the Southern Tang, but probably dating from the early Song period. Be­ sides the Yuguan zhaoshen ju ’ materials of the Shenxiang quanbian could be traced to the Renlun datongfu 人倫大通賦（‘‘ Comprehensive Rhap­ sody on Human Relations ’ ’）o f the Jin and the Taiqing shenjian 太清神鑑 (“ Great Clarity Mirror of Spirit ”) dated to the late Song. The Mirror of Auras ascribed to Chen Tuan is contained in the Yu- ^uan zhaoshen ju of the early Song {Yuguan, l,4b-9b). It is also found in the Shenxiang quanbian under the title Fengjian 風 鑑 歌 (“ Song of the Mirror of Auras ”) (ch. 6; Liang 1980，178-181) and in the Taiqing shenjian of the late Song under the title Shenbi lun 神 秘 論 （“ On the Se­ crets of Spirits ”)• More than that, it is quoted frequently in commen­ tary sections of the Shenxiang quanbian and in other physiognomic texts. We can distinguish two major editions of the Mirror of Auras，an 218 L IV IA K O H N older one in the Yuguan zhaoshen ju and a later version found both in the Shenxiang quanbian and in the Taiqing shenjian. Whereas the older text is in prose, the more recent version is rhymed. Although in con­ tent the editions are rather similar, giving a general survey or the theory and practice of physiognomy, they are not at all alike in structure and phrasing. The Mirror of Auras proposes a theory on the interaction of body and spirit; it gives detailed rules and examples for analysis of body types and features according to the theory of the five phases as well as accord­ ing to animal types; it uses facial complexion analysis, again in accor­ dance with five-phases theory (Kohn 1986). However, the Fengjian does not give an exhaustive survey of phy­ siognomy. Rather it exemplifies the basic principles and main methods of analysis by discussing specific types, such as the “ wood type ” with its different developments and the “ thin type ” with its main character evaluations. Edited already in the early Song in the Yuguan zhaoshen ju , the Fengjian might actually go back to the teachings of Chen Tuan. The fact that it is extensively quoted in most manuals after the tenth century, moreover, shows the importance attributed to Chen Tuan and his work in modern standard physiognomy. Chen Tuan as an Author of Physiognomic Texts In the Tushu jicheng edition of the Shenxiang quanbian, Chen Tuan is credited with the Dongxuan jing 洞 玄 經 (“ Scripture of Pervading My­ stery ，，）(L ia n g 1980，25フー259). In the Ming edition of the text, how­ ever, this text is cited without any author’s name under the title Dong­ xuan jing xing you qixiang 洞玄經形有七相（‘‘ Seven Types of Bodies Ac­ cording to the Scripture of Pervading M y ste ry ，，). Under the title Dongxuan jing zaduan ge 洞玄經雜斷歌（“ Sonp- Containing Miscellaneous Fragments of the Scripture of Pervading M u s te r y ，，) a completely dif­ ferent text is found in the Yuguan zhaoshen ju ( l，llb-12b).
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